"We are pushing the edges of science and technology to explore new ideas in critical areas such as water, energy, coatings and agriculture," said Chancellor Phyllis Wise, in a prepared statement. "The new center will draw upon the strengths in High Performance Computing (HPC), Informatics, and Computer Science at the University of Illinois to enhance technology and research within Dow."

Dow has also teamed up with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), which will provide direction and equipment to support research efforts in the areas of high-performance modeling and simulation.

Another purpose of the research facility is to give students real-world research experience, according to Lawrence Schook, vice president of research at the university. Sixteen students, in computer science and related fields, will work with researchers at the Innovation Center.